People often ask me, why do I go to Queenstown so frequently? Truth is, I don’t have a black and white answer to that. The North Island and South Island of New Zealand are so different , that each time my flight lands into Queenstown, I genuinely feel like I’ve gone to another country. I have been to Queenstown at least 6 times and for a city that’s quite small, that’s quite a lot. A lot of the times when I go down to Queenstown, I usually tag on a trip to Lake Tekapo and possibly Lake Wanaka.

Places like Lake Tekapo and Queenstown have the ability to truly give me what I desire from a holiday and that is rejuvenation.

Lake Tekapo is a complete tourist town in New Zealand. There are very few locals and in fact a lot of the people who work there are international visitors touring New Zealand over a significant period of time. You will see very few kiwis. Perhaps this adds to the sense of feeling like I’ve gone overseas.

The locals that you do encounter outside of Auckland are so different to Aucklanders. First off, they are so polite. New Zealand overall is a very polite country but as Auckland is one of the busiest cities, the people can get very rude as they are always in a rush. The locals outside of Auckland, are way more chilled out and make an effort to have a conversation with you whilst you wait for your coffee to go.

New Zealand is a country best seen and experienced by road. When driving through the South Island or any of the cities mentioned, the views are beautiful. It is so very different to what you would see in the North Island. Whether it’s the Church of Good Shepherd in Lake Tekapo, or walking along the lake front in Wanaka or Queenstown, the beauty is out of this world.

Sometimes, I get caught up in trying to figure out what new destination I want to go to, and feel disappointed when I can’t come to a conclusion. The other times, I am in awe to discover all the beauty that’s in my backyard and just go exploring in New Zealand.

Next time you head to Queenstown from anywhere on the North Island, just think about it - do you feel like you’re in the same country?

Until next time,

Mili